Giant's Kristina Ellis Highlights 6 Campaigns that Create Empathy

Ads are great for creating awareness. But when you really want viewers to understand something from their gut, you have to bring it to life with creative media. Here are some great examples of brand experiences that drive empathy.

Imagine riding a bike that makes you feel like you have multiple sclerosis. “This is a terrible bike to ride. Its gears are unpredictable, its frame off-balanced, and its brakes numb to press,” you think. Take a spin if you want to experience what it's like getting around with MS.

No nude breasts on Facebook or Instagram! That's the rule. But without knowing how to examine our breasts, we may miss early signs of cancer and have to have them removed, just like this campaign's images of healthy breasts were removed from social media. How ironic.

Campaign: Free Killer TanClient: Mollie's FundAgency: Area 23

What could be better on a chilly day than to warm up in a tanning bed? Unsuspecting visitors to a staged salon thought they were going to relax in a tanning booth but instead found themselves witnesses to their own funerals, complete with a casket and a photo of themselves. “Shocking.” “Terrible.” Those were just some of the reactions of the visitors to the salon. I'd say this experience had the desired effect on melanoma awareness.

Campaign: Together We are Stronger Than MSClient: National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyAgency: Wieden+Kennedy

What if you loved doing something and it was taken away from you because you had multiple sclerosis? Would you keep your optimistic, life-affirming spirit? The people in this campaign did. And now, through the magic of 3D video and virtual reality, they are able to feel what it's like to dance and surf again.

Campaign: Like My AddictionClient: Addict AideAgency: BETC Paris

A sexy lady with a glamorous lifestyle — what's not to like? Apparently not much, because in two months Louise Delage acquired 44,000 followers and more than 50,000 likes on Instagram. The catch? Her profile was fake. And in every picture she was holding a drink or a bottle was nearby, forcing us to ask ourselves: Are we missing an alcoholic in our real lives?

If you can barely breathe, how dare you dream of singing? In this experience, 18 people with breathing problems are taken on an unlikely journey to learn singing techniques that allow them to perform at the Apollo Theater in New York. It's an emotional story that showcases the best of humanity.